Laundry machine



16, 1930. G. w. DUNHAM LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed May 16', 19 25 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 103 [a do 0 q q 9 0 o o \IITIQI? K 110 I l l l I l I I l I 7 l 'M/ I 4 5 y 15 5 gum/ate;

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Dec. 16, 1930. G. w. DUNHAM I LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed May 16, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 anvamto'c w DmJta m Dec. 16, 1930.

w. DuNHA LAUNDRY MACHI N Filed May 15, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 H mm fieolge EJ10 Patented Dec. 16, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE W. DUNHAM, OF UTICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T WHIRLDRY CORPORATION,

' OF UTICA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK LAUNDRY MACHINE Application flledjlay 16, 1925. Serial No. 30,760.

The present invention relates to laundry In the general view the clothes receptacle machines of the type in which the clothes are is designated and is indicated as rotatably contained in a receptacle supported for romounted on an upstandingpost or pedestal 6 tation on a vertical axis and particularly to supported from the bottom of the surround- 5 machines of the type disclosed in my coin tank or container 7. 55

pending applications in which the receptacle e clothes receptacle 5 is illustrated as beis of an impe'rforate character to hold the ing of the imperforate type having a closed washing liquid and therefore is re uired to bottom ortion to hold washing liquid durcarry a considerable weight. An 0 jectionmg was ing operations, and a plurality of 10 able characteristic of such machines has been discharge openings 110' through which the (30 the vibration resulting from the unbalanced liquid is discharged when the receptacle 5 is condition of the clothes receptacle. rotated at suflicient speed.

One of the primary ob'ects of this inven- Receptacle 5 is provided with a hub 100 tion is to eliminate or re uce this incidental 'ournaled on the top of the pedestal 6 b vibration and co-related objects are to accomearings 101 and 102. A tubular drive sha t 65 plish the same inasimple, practical and inex- 8 and an inner drive shaft 9 pass through pensive manner and with a structure free of pedestal 6 and are driven b gearing in the mechanical or other complications. gear box 10, the solid shaft 9 having imparted Special features of the invention, aiding thereto an oscillatory rotary motion and the in the attainment of these objects are the protubular shaft 8 having imparted thereto a 70 vision of a flexible or resilient mounting for continuous rotary motion. the bearing which supports the clothes recep- An agitator 103 is removably mounted on tacle in the tank or container and the interpothe top of the inner shaft 9 by spline connecsition of such support in the bottom of the tion 104. The clothes receptacle 5 is contank where it also acts as a suspension means nected and disconnected from the tubular 7 for the gearing, pump, or other drive mechashaft 8 b' a clutch collar 105 keyed to the nism of the machine. tubular s aft 8 and having splines 106 en- Other novel features of the invention will gageable with splines 107 on the reduced exappear in the course of the following specitension 108 of the hub 100.

30, fication. For washing, theclutch collar 105 is in its In the drawings accompanying and formlower position and the agitator 103 is mounting part of this specification, a practlcal ed on top of the inner shaft as shown in Fig. commercial embodiment of the invention is 3. For drying, the agitator 103 is removed disclosed, but as such illustration is primarifrom the machine and the clutch collar 105 is 5 ly for purposes of disclosure, it will be underin its upper position to continuously rotate stood that the structure may be modified 1n the receptacle 5 to drive the water from the various respects without departure from the laundry out of the receptacle through the broad spirit and scope of the invention as discharge openings 110. I hereinafter defined and claimed. The gear box 10 is supported below the tank Figure 1 is a front elevation of 8. Washing 7, as shown, and the gearing therein is driven ()0 machine like that of my co-pending appliby a belt 12 running on the pulleys 11 and cations referred to, with a portion of the 13, the pulley 13 being mounted upon a suittank broken away to illustrate the adaptaable electric motor which is also suspended tion of the invention thereto. from thebottom of the tank 7.

F igureQisabroken enlarged sectional view Attentlon is called to copending applicaa:- of the mounting structure and associated tion Serial No. 18,086, above mentioned, for t one construction of gearing which may be Fig. 3 is a broken, enlarged sectional view used in the gear box 10, but it is to be distinctthrough the top of the edestal illustrating ly understood that, so far as the present in- 5 the mounting of the clot es receptacle. vention is concerned, any gearing construcloo ties. may be used in gear box 10 which will give the desired motions to shafts 8 and 9.

In the machine illustrated provision is made for returning the water discharged from the clothes receptacle into the container or for transferring liquid from the container up into the receptacle in the form of a. pump at 14 interposed between the top of the gear box and the bottom of the tank, having an intake open to the tank and adi'scharge conduit 15 extended up the side of the tank and terminating in a spout 16 which can be turned inward to discharge into the top of the rece tacle.

T' e impeller 17 of this pump is shown in Figure 2 as having a tubular shaft 18' extending up outside a tubular casing 19 which forms a water well about the drive shafts. It should be understood that this tubular pump shaft is connected with the high s eed drive shaft at a point above the top 0 the water well 19, this particular feature not being shown as forming any part of the present, invention, it being su'flicient to know simply that the pump may be driven from the high s 3 ed shaft. Thus it will be understood that t e opening in the lower wall of the pump casing through which the drive shaft 8 passes is e ectively sealed to prevent washing liquid from passing down into the gear box 10, so lon as the top of the well 19 is above the heig t of liquid in the tank 7.

In Figure 2 the pump casing is shown as secured to the top of the gear case by screws 20 and the tubular post or column which supports the clothes receptacle is shown as mounted in a hub 21 carried by the top of the pump casing, making the gearing, pump and supporting column pract cally a smgle unlt and enabllng the mounting of the gearing, pump and clothes receptacle by simply attaching this unit to the tank bottom. The supporting of this unit in a resilient mounting effects the absorbing or overcoming of any out of balance conditions in the rotatlng load, due to gravity, mechanical or gyroscopic forces or a c mbination of these forces, which otherwise a ould be transferred to the tank bottom and supports. By locating this resilient mounting at a oint above the pump,

' 28. A clamping ring 29 is shown screw threaded over the upper end of the neck. or

hub 24, serving as a shoulder for the upper resilient element and as a means for adjustably clamping the two resilient members on the interposed supporting flange 27. The inner engaged lip portion of this flange is shown as downwardl offset to provide an annular wall 30 for imiting the spreading tendency of the upper cushioning element and the companion supporting flange 22 is shown as having an upstanding annular wall 31 for confining and limiting the spreading tendency of the lower cushioning member.

The lip of the upper flange 27 is shown at 32 as of greater diameter than the neck 24 of the lower flange so that there can be no metalto-metal engagement between these flanges. The hub or neck portion 24 of the lower supporting flange is shown as sufiiciently larger than the hub in which the supporting column is seated to provide an annular passage 33 between the hubs forming an intake for the pump open at the bottom through 'passa es 35 into the top of the pump casing.

A gas et 36 of suitable packing material is shown interposed between the upper supporting flange 27 and the bottom of the tank.

In addition to the shock absorbiri'g and vibration dampening qualities, 'th"resilient mounting dampens any noises from the gears or driving mechanism and provides a convenient and easily handled means for quickly 7 attaching the pump gearing and clothes supporting post to the tank. 1 The thickness and state of compression of the resilient rings, in

addition to governing the cushioning effect,

determines the position of the supporting column and hence the level of the clothes receptacle within the container. Thus, by Varying these factors or adjustments, the position of the clothes, container within the tank and the position of the gearing and pump below the tank may be governed to suit requirements. Thus by lowering the combined unit as a whole, the suspended wei ht of the pump and gearing may be ma e more eflective' to counterbalance the weight of the clothes receptacle and conversely by elevating the entire supported structure, the compensating effect of the suspended portions may be reduced.

The resilient connections form in effect an elastic diaphragm, affording both a spring support for the operating parts and a watertight connection between such parts and the tank. Because of the independent movement thus permitting the operating parts, the pump is shown as havin a flexible connection in the form of a hose 3 interposed in the line between the discharge of the pump and the reservoir at the side of the tank, this flexible connection preventing transmission of vibration to the water connections on the tank.

What is claimed is:

1. In a laundry machine, a tank, a laundry receptacle within the tank, a pedestal for said receptacle rising from and supported by the bottom of the tank and a; resilient connection between said pedestal and the tank bottom, means for supporting said receptacle on the top of said pedestal in rotatable relation thereto, and a drive shaft for said receptacle.

2. In a laundry machine, a tank, a supporting column, a resilient connection between the bottom of the tank and the foot of said column for carrying said column, a clothes receptacle within the tank, and means for supporting said receptacle on said column in rotatable relation thereto.

3'. In a laundry machine, the combination with a tank and a supporting column rising from the bottom of said tank, a resilient connection between the foot of said column and the bottom wall of the tank for carrying said column, a clothes receptacle constructed to hold both the clothes and the washing liquid, and means for supporting said receptacle on said column in rotatable relation thereto.

4. In a laundry machine, the combination with a tank and a supporting column rising from the bottom of said tank, a resilient connection between the foot of said columii and the bottom wall of the tank for-carrying said column, a clothes receptacle constructed to hold both the clothes and the washing liquid during the washing operations, means for rotating said receptacle to discharge the liquid therefrom by centrifugal action, and means for supportm said receptacle on said column in rotata le relation thereto.

5. In apparatus of the character disclosed, the combination of a gear box, a, pump above the same, a supporting column rising from said piimp, a tank having an opening in the bottom of the same through which said colunm projects, a resilient supporting connection between the tank and pump structures and a clothes receptacle rotatably mounted on the column within the tank.

6. In a Washing machine, the combination with a tank and a clothes receptacle therein, of a pedestal for the clothes receptacle and a resllient mounting for said pedestal carried by said tank and comprising flanges attached to the tank and pedestal respectively and cushioning elements interposed between said flanges, means for supporting said receptacle on said pedestal in rotatab e relation thereto, and a drive shaft for said receptacle.

7. In a washing machine, the combination with a tank and a clothes receptacle therein, .of a pedestal for the clothes receptacle and a resilient mounting for said pedestal carried by said tank and comprising flanges attached to the tank and support respectively, cushioning elements interposed between said flanges and means for adjustably compressing said cushioning elements, means for supporting said receptacle on said pedestal in rotatable relation thereto, and a drive shaft for said receptacle.

8. A laundry machine com rising a tank having a bottom opening wit an inwardly closed, a ta clothes recelptacle within the tank, a column for rotatab y supporting said receptacle extending up through the bottom opening, a flange about the bottom opening of the tank, a flange attached to the column, resilient cushioning elements disposed at opposite sides of one of said flanges and means for adjustably securing said cushioning elements to the other of said flanges.

10. In apparatus of the character disclosed, a tan a supporting column projectingup from the bottom of the tank, a clothes 7 receptacle journaled on said column within the tank, a pump and gearing secured to the column and disposed beneath the tank and a supporting connection between the tank and the column and arranged above the pump to enable the suspended pump and gearin be low the tank to counterbalance the weig t of the clothes receptacle within the tank.

11. In apparatus of the character disn a supporting column projecting up from the bottom of the tank, a clothes. receptacle journaled on said column within the tank, a pump and earin secured to the column and disposed eneat the tank and a sup orting connection between the tank and t e column and arran ed above the pum to enable the suspen ed pump and gearing below the tank to counterbalance the weight of the clothes receptacle within the tank, said supporting connection including resilient elements for cushionin vibration occasioned by unbalanced conditions of theclothes receptacle or other parts.

12. In apparatus of the character disclosed, a tank having a bottom opening, a tubular su orting column extending up through sa1 opening, connecting means between the base of said column and the tank bottom, a clothes receptacle supported on the column within the tank, a pump and a gear case suspended from'the base of the column below the tank so thatv the weight of the same acts as a counterbalance to the weight of the clothes receptacle within the tank and gearing within t e gear case having driving means for the receptacle extending up through the tubular column.

13. In apparatus of the character disclosed,a tank having a bottom opening, a tubular supporting column extending up through said opening, connecting means between the base of said column and the tank receptacle.

14. In apparatus of the character disclosed, a tank, a Water connection carried thereby,a clothes receptacle within the tank, a support for said clothes receptacle carried by said tank, a pump carried by said support, resilient connections between the tan and support and. a flexible connection between the pump andthe water connection carried by the tank.

15. In a laundry machine, a support, a pedestal device, means resiliently mounting said pedestal device on said support, a receptacle to hold articles to be laundered rotatably mounted at the upperiend of said pedestal device and above said support, aux-- iliary mechanism to aid in balancing said receptacle at the lower end of said pedestal device and below said support, said pedestal device'including drive connections between said receptacle and auxiliary mechanism.

16. In a laundry machine, a support, a pedestal device, means swingably mounting said pedestal device on-said support, a receptacle to hold articles to be laundered rotatably mounted at the upper end of said pedestal device and above said support, auxiliary mechanism to aid in balancing said recepta- 0 cle at the lower end of said pedestal device and below said support, and drive connections for driving said receptacle.

In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE W. DUNHAM, 

